{"id":26608,"date":"2023-03-07T12:52:35","date_gmt":"2023-03-07T12:52:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/?post_type=resources&p=26606"},"modified":"2024-09-04T11:02:51","modified_gmt":"2024-09-04T09:02:51","slug":"4-essential-skills-for-being-good-at-change","status":"publish","type":"resources","link":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/resources\/4-essential-skills-for-being-good-at-change\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Essential Skills for Being Good at Change"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This article originally appeared on\u00a0Microlearning<\/a><\/em>, our bite-sized online solution for leaders and individual contributors.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re waiting for a time when everything settles down, you\u2019re in for a long<\/em> wait. Change does not stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s not a bad thing. It\u2019s actually an opportunity to set yourself apart from your peers \u2014 provided you stop thinking of change as something you need to get through and start thinking of it as something you do<\/em>. All the time. To navigate every change with more confidence, less stress, and better results, apply these four tactics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Notice how you react, then push yourself to better understand the change.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s only human to have an emotional reaction to change (e.g., This is going to be amazing!<\/em> or This change has nothing to do with me <\/em>or This is a disaster waiting to happen<\/em>). But your reaction in the moment is almost always based on an incomplete understanding of the change. When you challenge your reaction, you make it possible to think through things on your own or seek out different perspectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try it when:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • You first hear about a change.<\/strong> If your first reaction is negative (e.g., you think a merger will fail), think of three potential positive outcomes. If your first reaction is positive (e.g., you think the merger will be flawless), think of three potential pitfalls. If that proves difficult, seek out others whose views might differ from yours and ask them explicitly to push back on your thinking (e.g., \u201cI\u2019m having trouble seeing how this merger is going to be good for our company. What upsides do you see?\u201d<\/em>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • You run into an obstacle as you implement a change.<\/strong> Say that you develop a new sales presentation that reflects a strategic shift your company is making. You show it to the sales team, and they give you a harsher critique than you expected. Obviously you\u2019re frustrated after all the work you put in. But consider: This was your first attempt to talk about a major change in your company\u2019s approach. Did you really think you\u2019d perfect it on the first try? Ask yourself, \u201cWhat can this setback tell me about what I should try next?\u201d <\/em>If you have trouble figuring that out on your own, who might have ideas for a path forward?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • You want to give up on a change.<\/strong> Go through enough trial and error and it can be tempting to throw in the towel. Remind yourself of your own resilience by asking, How hard is my current situation compared to other challenges I\u2019ve faced?<\/em> When you look at the moment in the context of your overall life experience and that you\u2019ve made it through hard times before, you open yourself to the motivation to keep at it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    2. Be curious.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Curiosity is a change superskill. When you think of a curious person, you probably don\u2019t imagine them as stressed, pessimistic, and uninformed. More likely, you think they\u2019re eager to learn how things work, to solve problems when they run into obstacles, and to seize the opportunities that change presents. Curiosity can also reduce stress by helping you think clearly about your emotional reaction to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Try it when:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Things aren\u2019t going well.<\/strong> If you\u2019re struggling with a change, start asking why \u2014 and keep asking until you find an answer. Are your expectations unreasonable? Are you uncomfortable with the uncertainty? Worried you\u2019ll need to develop a new skill or improve a key working relationship?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Things are going well.<\/strong> Say your company\u2019s new sales-tracking software is a success because it dramatically reduces the time you spend logging client interactions. But you also discover that the new software tracks customer interactions that the old software couldn\u2019t. This is when to ask yourself, What\u2019s possible now?<\/em> What insights about your customers does it offer? How might you act on them?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Things seem calm.<\/strong> To prepare for the next change that\u2019s just around the corner, tap into your curiosity and think about what your customers might need next or where industry trends are heading. You might also ask yourself, What can we be doing better? <\/em>It doesn\u2019t have to be a grand discovery \u2014 maybe just eliminating an unnecessary meeting. Innovation often comes from making small, incremental improvements that accumulate over time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      3. Zoom out to remind yourself why the change is important, and zoom in to figure out your next step.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

      To successfully navigate change you need to see both the big picture (e.g., the brighter future of a more efficient organization, a bigger market share) and what\u2019s right in front of you (e.g., the day-to-day of creating a new sales presentation, learning new software). Like a sailor, you need to know your destination and then stay on course along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Try it when:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • You\u2019re in the weeds on a change.<\/strong> Say your company decides to pitch a project to a potential new partner that could double the size of your business, and you get to write the proposal. But the proposal process reveals other issues you\u2019d like to fix \u2014 your neglected filing system is a mess, your inbox is overflowing \u2014 wait, weren\u2019t you supposed to be writing a proposal? It\u2019s time to zoom out: What\u2019s the ultimate goal? Win the project. To do that, you need to finish that proposal. Now zoom in: What\u2019s the next step to take to finish the proposal?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • The change needs to change.<\/strong> Imagine your company is making a strategic shift to encourage more face-to-face contact with customers, and you\u2019re the events planner. Then a pandemic hits. The path the company was on becomes impossible. It\u2019s time to zoom out: Why more face-to-face contact in the first place? Is there another way to achieve that goal, like increasing the frequency of your virtual connections with customers? Now zoom in: What\u2019s the first step to take to create more virtual customer connections?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        4. Fully commit \u2014 and recommit \u2014 to the change.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

        If you don\u2019t commit yourself to a change because you\u2019re worried it might fail, that can become a self-fulfilling prophecy by your giving less than your best (and then saying, \u201cSee, I knew this wouldn\u2019t work\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        A key part of getting good at change is understanding that change is often hard and uncomfortable, and that you need to continually recommit to making it work \u2014 especially after you run into roadblocks. When you feel your commitment wavering, figure out why, then decide what to do about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Try it when:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • The change begins.<\/strong> Even if you\u2019re skeptical, the best way to test if a change is a good idea is to do your best to make it happen. You still ask questions to get clear on what the change is trying to achieve. Then you push to implement it the way you think it should be implemented and give an honest effort.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • You feel like you haven\u2019t made any progress.<\/strong> If you\u2019ve been giving your best effort and the change still doesn\u2019t seem to be working, it\u2019s understandable to feel discouraged, but you might need to expand your definition of \u201cprogress.\u201d All you\u2019ve learned about what doesn\u2019t <\/em>work can help you find what does<\/em> work. It\u2019s a matter of making adjustments and trying again until you find a solution.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • You\u2019re doubting if the change is worth it.<\/strong> You may need to revisit the previous tactics in this article: Are you seeing only the bad sides of the change? Do you need to get curious about possible new approaches? Have you lost sight of the ultimate goals? Can you zoom in to figure out a next step to take? Asking questions like these can help you rediscover your motivation to make the change succeed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          If you\u2019ve done everything to understand the change and still can\u2019t commit, you might need to make a change for yourself. Maybe your organization is moving in a direction that doesn\u2019t align with your career interests or values. The good news is that whatever change you\u2019re facing, you\u2019re now better equipped to choose the best path forward \u2014 for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          This article originally appeared on\u00a0Microlearning, our bite-sized online solution for leaders and individual contributors. If you\u2019re waiting for a time when everything settles down, you\u2019re in for a long wait. Change does not stop. That\u2019s not a bad thing. It\u2019s actually an opportunity to set yourself apart from your peers \u2014 provided you stop thinking of change […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-26608","resources","type-resources","status-publish","hentry","type-newsletters"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n4 Essential Skills for Being Good at Change - FranklinCovey<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This article originally appeared on\u00a0Microlearning, our bite-sized online solution for leaders and individual contributors. 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